How to Tell Your Boss You Have Too Much Work (and Ask What Moves)

Sam is already very busy this week. Another request has just turned up on Slack. Working late hours night after night is not really a solution. The workload can be brought up with Jordan, the manager, and usually works better, as long as Sam brings something specific for Jordan to decide.

Working late can’t be the answer on a regular basis. Therefore, it is better to bring up this matter to your manager early, while there is still time to change the plan. As a reminder, we suggest you write down what you are working on and bring it up to your manager together with the rough hours it takes to complete each task and ask him/her which of the tasks need to be moved in order to fit them into this week’s work schedule.

This is just another work topic. Excessive workloads and lack of control over workload are listed as workplace risks to mental health by the World Health Organization¹. Although this global list of risk factors does not measure how much one conversation with a manager will change, it is still good grounds for treating workload as just another work topic.

Write down what is actually on your plate

List out the work that you’re currently doing (projects, tasks, new requests, etc.) and add a rough estimate of how many hours you think each will require. It doesn’t have to be exact, so round to the nearest hour or so.

You would then list the estimated time for each task and the relevant deadline. Here is an example of what this might look like for Sam above: client deck (8 hours) due Wednesday, budget review (5 hours) due Friday, onboarding docs (6 hours) due Friday, and weekly report (3 hours) due Thursday. 22 hours of work to fit into roughly 16 open hours once meetings come out.

Having the list in front of you will also show Jordan the size of the problem and then you can have a conversation about the workload as opposed to just whether you are busy or not.

123

1. 1
   The task list with rough hours

   Each item gets a time estimate and a deadline. Round numbers are enough, and the total shows the gap between work and open hours.

2. 2
   The deadline on the calendar

   Raise the problem as soon as you can see deadlines clashing, while your manager still has options.

3. 3
   The new request

   Accept it and ask what moves to make room, so the cost is visible from the start.

Ask early, before a deadline slips

This is best to bring up as soon as you can see that there are going to be problems meeting a few deadlines, for example by saying on Monday morning “I won’t be able to fit both of these in by Friday”. This allows for the greatest flexibility to change the plan, whereas by Thursday night Jordan will have fewer options.

If for whatever reason you can’t get a 1:1 with your manager as soon as you want to, send an initial note to your manager on Slack or Teams. Let your manager know that you’ve started laying out your work for the week and that you’d like to discuss possible reordering of work as soon as possible. This gives your manager a chance to look at the work before you talk, and it puts the request on record before things get out of hand. Here’s an example of such a note:

Leading with numbers keeps it short. If you frame it as a scheduling problem with a fix then Jordan can look at the list and see that you have identified a problem and are proposing a solution.

Bring one proposed order and ask which item moves

Your manager sets the priorities, but you know the work in detail, so you have a good idea of what you would schedule. Offer up a proposal for how you would schedule the tasks, and provide one reason why you scheduled each task that way. Your manager can then accept your proposal or adjust it as they see fit.

You then can hand the choice over to your manager and ask if that works for them or if they need to move something else.

This line is never framed in the context of saying that one is feeling overwhelmed. Yes, one may want to bring up the point to their manager if the relationship allows it, but this would be outside of the simple scheduling request for an answer.

Sam asks Jordan to choose what moves (illustrative)

1. 
   Sam

   Do you have ten minutes? I mapped out my week and I have about 22 hours of work for 16 open hours.

2. 
   Jordan

   That's more than I realized. What's on there?

3. 
   Sam

   The client deck, the budget review, the onboarding docs and the weekly report. I'd keep the deck, the review and the report on schedule and move the onboarding docs to next Wednesday. Does that work, or would you move something else?

4. 
   Jordan

   Next Wednesday is fine for the onboarding docs. Keep the deck first.

5. 
   Sam

   Great. I'll send a quick recap so we're both working from the same list.

Say “yes, and what moves?” when a new task lands

A new request is where overload most easily grows, so the better habit is to say “yes” to the task and name its cost in the same reply.

And, just for clarity, a note like this is completely fine if the person asking you to take on more work is another colleague: “I’ll have to check with my manager to see if this fits into the current order of work.”

When your boss says “just do your best” or “it all matters”

Sometimes your manager isn’t going to give you clear direction. Sigh. “Just do your best” or “it all matters” is good starting commentary, but you need to push for more because neither tells you what to drop when the hours run out. So ask a simple question that forces ranking:

If the answer is still “all three,” work your way down to figure out what you need to trim. A shorter version of the onboarding docs to get them out the door sooner or moving the budget review out to a later date would be two reasonable offers. Let your manager know which item you think will most likely slip if all three are left on the table.

What to do with your manager's answer

Your manager picks what moves+

Agree and send the recap the same day.

They say "just do your best"+

Ask which two of the three items should be finished by the deadline.

They say "it all matters"+

Offer a shorter first version or a later date for one item.

Nothing can move or shrink+

Name the item most likely to slip and stop there. The risk is now known.

Confirm the agreed priorities in writing

Written confirmation of a 1:1 conversation needs to be sent the same day. The conversation itself can be easy to remember differently a week later, so you can both refer to a written note to confirm the agreed priorities.

Keep the note brief and only list out the decisions made in your 1:1 meeting. There’s no need to rehash the entire discussion around each task. Simply state the facts and refer back to it as necessary.

Adapt the recap to your week

Thanks for sorting this out. To confirm: [first priority] by [date], [second priority] by [date], [item that moved] moved to [new date]. I'll flag it early if anything changes.

First and second priority+

Use the names your manager uses for these tasks, in the order you agreed.

Item that moved+

Name exactly what was pushed back or trimmed, so nobody expects it on the old date.

Dates+

Write specific days. Avoid phrases like "soon" or "later this week."

Your next step

Open a new note. List all your tasks for this week, estimating the amount of time each will take and providing a due date for each. At the bottom of the note, outline the order in which you would choose to complete these tasks.

This can feel uncomfortable to express. Try practicing a version of this conversation in Quippy first: rehearse with a scene partner to get a sense of what this meeting could look like before it happens.

Sources and references

1. World Health Organization (2026). Mental health at work (fact sheet, updated 15 September 2026). WHO.Global institutional fact sheet that lists workplace risks to mental health, including excessive workloads and low control over workload; it names risk factors and recommended supports, it does not measure the effect of any single conversation with a manager.